Kyren Wilson hit ‘one of his lowest points’ at the UK Championship, but is confident his cue chaos is behind him after a ‘hissy fit’ in York.
The Warrior’s 2024 World Championship-winning cue was broken during a refurb at the start of the season, which was something of a disaster for the world number two.
He chopped and changed a few times in the early months of the campaign and thought he had found the answer with a replica of his previous cue ahead of the UK Championship.
However, things changed just before his challenge in York in November and it led to a tough match to watch as Wilson struggled mentally during defeat to Elliot Slessor.
Looking back on that situation, Wilson told Metro: ‘Basically I was only using that cue for about two weeks before the UK and it was made based off of my World Championship-winning cue, a Chinese company made it.
‘When you get to the venues, the practice tables are much more lively. The cloths are new, the balls react slightly different and on one side of the table, I couldn’t understand why I kept missing a certain ball.
‘It was like a long straight red and it was always the same and I pride myself on striking the ball quite centrally and cueing quite straight. I couldn’t work out what was going on.
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‘I went over to my friends at Green Baize, went to change the ferrule to see if it would reduce the deflection and they pointed out to me that the way the cue had been spliced from left to right. So it was almost like a boomerang. Then I was like, well, that’s why I’m turning the ball that way over that side of the table.
‘It made sense to me and then it just cabbaged me before my game. That was the night before the match, in Middlesbrough.
‘So it was panic stations. Got my old cue out, which didn’t even have a ferrule on. My friend drove it up to me, put me a new ferrule on, put me a new tip on and then I played that night. So it was like total guesswork.’
Wilson battled to a 6-4 defeat but was clearly struggling with the situation, sitting with his head in his hands for periods of the match.
‘I knew as soon as I missed an easy pink in the first frame and I just knew I couldn’t win. I just absolutely knew I couldn’t win, but I just battled and battled and battled,’ he said.
‘I think the whole emotions and everything that came out, I think that was just…the UK is so big and with everything that’s happened, I felt like I was ready for it. I was starting to feel good and you get there and everything changes. It was just a bit soul-destroying.
‘Probably one of the lowest points I’ve ever had, to be honest. I’ve gone through a period now, almost two years, of feeling like I’m definitely in the mix of being one of the best players in the world.
‘I’ve probably been the most successful over the past 18 months. You give it everything and when something out of your hands has happened, that’s a freak accident as well, it was just a bit soul-destroying.
‘I’ve had my hissy fit and I’m over it now.’
Cue-wise, Wilson picked up a new one on that night in Middlesbrough which was too light at the time, but with some weight added seems to be working just fine.
‘I’ve used the same cue since the Scottish Open, which for me is an awfully long period of time,’ he said. ‘And when you can get out to exhibitions in China [over Christmas] that have no practice tables, get straight on the table in front of a big crowd and knock a century in, you think, well, this must be OK.
‘This is the longest period of time I’ve played with a single cue, probably for the best part of six months. So, considering that, I’m quite confident, quite pleased.’
Wilson takes on Si Jiahui in the opening round of the Masters on Tuesday afternoon, a player he rates, but feels could be flying even higher in the game but for a fateful game in 2023.
Si went on a spectacular run to the World Championship semi-finals at 21 years old, then led Luca Brecel 14-5 before losing 15-17.
‘I like the way he plays the game, strikes the ball really confidently, really aggressively,’ said Wilson of the 23-year-old. ‘If he wins that semi-final against Luca in the World Championship, you might be looking at a different prospect now. Who knows? I don’t know how much that defeat would have hurt anyone, but it obviously sets you back a little while.
‘He’s struggled to just maybe kick on a little bit since then. But anyone that’s in the top 16 and that’s in the Masters has every right to be there and he’s very dangerous. So I won’t be taking him lightly.’
